Response by Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the question of the local media regarding the views expressed by the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, during her speech at the Ambassadorial Conference

Question: Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of France, Catherine Colonna, during her speech at the Ambassadorial Conference, said that “efforts are being mobilized to provide the Nagorno-Karabakh population with the opportunity to live there, as well as to respect their rights, culture and history” and “the suppression strategy to incite the exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh is illegal and immoral.” How would you comment on these claims?

Answer: Such statements by Catherine Colonna, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, which do not serve peace and stability in the region and demonstrate one-sided pro-Armenian position, are unacceptable.

Turning a blind eye to the facts such as Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani lands for almost 30 years, Armenia’s policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis, acts of genocide and mass killings, transformation of nearly 1 million Azerbaijanis into refugees and IDPs and the trampling of their rights, the destruction and looting of Azerbaijani cities and villages, destruction of Azerbaijan’s cultural and historical monuments, and after the 2020-war failure to stop the political-military provocations carried out by Armenia, and non-withdrawal of its armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan are examples of an illegal and immoral approach.

The Republic of Azerbaijan, within the framework of the national legislation, makes efforts to reintegrate Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region into the political, social, and economic spheres of our country, and it is completely erroneous to obstruct these efforts and to make claims about a policy being carried out to expel Armenian residents from the region.

Once again, we call on the French side to put an end to such inflammatory and provocative statements.

https://mfa.gov.az/en/news/no45023